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Kraft Nabisco Championship: Leaders off and parring and birdieing

April 2, 2011 | 1:55
pm

Stacy Lewis, the leader by three strokes at the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, is playing her third round with world No. 1 and defending champion Yani Tseng. Lewis and Tseng are in the final group and one question is whether -- or more likely when -- will Lewis, who was co-leader after the first round and a non-winner in her three years on the LPGA Tour, start to show some nerves in her play.

With a large crowd gathered at the first tee, Lewis was long and straight with her drive, and she and Tseng parred the first hole. Tseng has just birdied the second hole, though, to draw within two shots of Lewis at seven under, and to have second place to herself.

The afternoon is less stifling than Friday, when temperatures topped 100 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Saturday there is haze and some cloud cover and a temperature of about 90 and the expectation that, at some point, the winds will kick up because Sunday the temperature is supposed to drop even more, into the 80s.

Among those in the top 10, 21-year-old Michelle Wie has posted a birdie (at the par-five second hole), which has drawn her into a tie for seventh and five shots behind Lewis. Brittany Lincicome, who won here in 2009 and former UCLA player Jane Park are both even par through two holes and tied for third.

Japan's Mika Miyazato, who was tied for 14th at the beginning of the day, is two under through seven holes and has moved into a tie for seventh. Maria Hjorth of Sweden is, so far, working on one of the best rounds of the day. She's four under through 12 holes and has moved from a tie for 29th into a tie for 10th.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Stacy Lewis flips her putter after missing a birdie attempt at No. 6 on Saturday during the third round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Credit: Danny Moloshok / Reuters